Natalie October 27, 2014

Week 7

Hi everyone! So to be honest last week I was having a really hard time. I am really not sure how to describe what I was feeling other than the powers of Satan very strong. I don't like the adversity. It was really difficult for some reason to remember that satan has no power of me. I am so greatful I recieved a blessing from President and I have decided to just keep moving foreward and remember to have faith. Truly I am feeling much better.

 I read a talk that Hermana Andersen suggested from April General Conference entitled, If Ye Lack Wisdom. It was really good and I especially liked the scripture he shared from Alma 32 about not casting out the seed by your unbelief and letting it grow. I love that chapter of Alma yet I forgot about that part. I have been remembering to simply trust and have that faith. I was also very grateful that I was able to teach this to an investigator. She has doubts about the Book of Mormon and I shared this with her and a scripture my mom shared with me in Alma 17:10and 11 that says we need to be patient in our afflictions. 

The blessing I received from my mission President was so powerful and very strong. He gave me a task. I am so excited for my task because it is to read the Book of Mormon out loud and in Spanish! I don't know how I'm going to do it but I feel like I can. Something else I was thinking of from the first blessing he gave me, which was my first week here, he mentioned that for me, Cozumel would be my personal sacred grove. I thought that the meaning was just a nice, peaceful quiet place but after talking with him and Hermana Kirkham on Tuesday I realized that it had another meaning. And I was so grateful that the blessing said after I read the Book of Mormon out loud in Spanish, I will have developed a testimony so strong of the Book of Mormon that could never be shaken. I am so excited for this time in which to accomplish that and this past week I have been realizing what they mean when they say the teacher is really the learner because I am learning so much as I am trying to teach this people. 

Fun facts about this week was that I ate chicken feet. I ate a chicken's foot! And it was actually pretty good, kinda fatty but alright lol I wish I had a picture but my companion took it on her camera. Here I have included a picture of our "generation".. The missionaries that came the same time I did and their trainers. We are moving along here in Cozumel and I can't wait to see what lies ahead this next transfer (cambio). The message for this week I want to testify of is TENGAN FE! Have Faith. I know we will constantly be working on this every day and I now know just how important it is to read in the scriptures EVERY SINGLE DAY. We need to be exercising faith and that is one of the most important ways. Much love,

Hermana Newman

 

Jason October 27, 2014

Wow, what a crazy week!

we had a blast this week getting excited for saturday, which was our birthday and a baptism we had. more about that in just a sec. First, just want to testify to all of you that We have a Father in Heaven who lives and loves us, and is always watching over us, giving us countless blessings and miracles and what not. We saw a lot happen this last week, and I feel that it was our best week yet in the whole campanionship...

...and not the last, because we did NOT have transfers! 6 more weeks in Camargo and w/ Elder Perez! woohoo! apparently, only one missionary in our whole zone had transfers, Elder Woods, who is in our district. what can i say, it has just been so busy here in the mission life. we have been working with various investigatorsw, who are progressing, and though its hard to come to church sometimes, we continue to feel a powerful love for these people. Mario and Karen both have baptismal dates for this month, and we hope to put one with pedro, another one of our younger investigators. 

Ok, our birthday was the best!!!!! we are just constantly blown away at the fact that this very well could be the only birthday in our entire lives that was spent with someone who has the same birthday as us, and who has the same age! (elder Perez and I), and who wouldve thought that it would be here in the mission, and that let alone us 2 would be companions! coincedence or revelation? ... it was a great day, as we had ward council in the morning, and went home after. before we went home though, we first went to the gas station to buy milk because we ran out, and it turns out our credit cards were declined, and we didnt have cash. we thought "oh, thats weird", so we just went back home....only to have Hermano Del Real (a member) knock on our door to give us a cake, and each a birthday card, and whaddaya know? a little liter jug of milk :) haha MIRACLE! it was pretty great. after that we went to teach Marlene, and we still love her, even though she still hasnt made it to church :( its all good. then we went to the chapel to filll up the font for Felix. He had been so excited all week for his baptism. anyway, we then went to eat with Hermana Solis, our favorite Member, and we had tacos de Carne Asada (steak tacos) - YUM! after, we took pictures and had our cake. i was SO full afterward! we then had a few lessons, and at 6 had the baptism for felix. it was so fun teaching him, he is such a hoot! even got to see his mom come , who is a less active member, at the baptism and the confirmation! and afterwards, we went to a members house and had a fiesta/siesta type setting, with chicken and tortillas. It was a great day, and the weekend ended with the phonecall from the district leader saying we would NOT be having transfers. so we are very happy :) 

the Lord continues to bless us and protect us as we are safe here in ourt little city, and in those times where we feel we are alone, we know we have you all to support us, as well as eachother, ELder Perez and I. We love you all and are continuing to Serve the Lord with all our Heart, Might, Mind, and Strength. have a great week, everyone!

Jason 

-- 

**Elder Newman**

Natalie October 20, 2014

Natalie sends her love.  She has been loving her hammock.  Its the bed she sleeps in.  Weather has been hot, hot, hot.   Lots of humidity too.  Until next week. 

Jason October 20, 2014

Slow and steady wins the race!

Hello everyone! 

Esta bien suave lo que estamos viendo aqui en camarg--haha whoops! hows everyone doing!? this week was slow, but im keeping my head up and all is well! it is still SO hot here in Camargo, but interestingly enough, for the first time in a while it rained here really hard last night. 

so first off, we got sick this week, and wether it was a stomach infection or just bad pains, we got sick and had to stay inside a few days. so we didnt work a whole ton this week, but we know that the Lord is hastening the work in Camargo in HIS own due time...

...because of the Investigators that we DO have!today, if i may, share a little bit about Felix and Mario. 

FELIX is 9 and he is going to be baptized this saturday. we are very excited and know that the only one who can prepare the way for him is the Lord, as well as the one who will be preparing the things that need to happen in order so that we may have the baptismal service. he is such a hoot, and we saw many blessings this week in how we were able to teach him 2 of the lessons. short and sweet, of course, cause his attention span isnt very big..But we love him anyways. Yesterday, we had a great object lesson with him that shows how he can be made clean from sin if he is baptized. he loved it and is very excited. 

MARIO is progressing very well. he amazes us every time we see him and teach him. It just amazes me how people can change, with the gospel as part of their lives, as he is giving up coffee and smoking rather quickly. He is the husband (we married them) of Our recent convert Delfina, and diego (also recent convert) and his sister marisa are their grandkids that live with them. (they were the ones we were walking to church with on sunday.) ANYWAY, so we taught him a lesson on the woord of wisdom last week, and he accepted to give up those substances that have been weighing him down and we also planned our next lesson for the next day. when we returned the next day, we asked him what he ate for breakfast and he didnt drink coffee! we were so proud of him, and in teaching him about fasting and tithing and fast offerings, he said to us "ok, so starting monday...no, TODAY, im gonna fast" and HE DID!!! we can tell he really wants to get baptized and have what his family now has. 

the lord Prepares us in so many ways. this week, though we got sick, we learned more patience, and really just counted the blesing s that we do have. 1 corinthians 10:13: i know that the Lord will never give us a challenge that is too big, and that with whatever challenge or trial that we do have, he will prepare a way for us to bear it (1 nephi 3:7), and prepares us for it. 

Have a great week everyone, and know that I love you all!! ¡que tenga un buen tarde!

Jason 

-- 

**Elder Newman**

Natalie

All my mosquito bites !!!!! Itchy!

Natalie October 13, 2014

Wow it has been so crazy here! Hermana Andersen and I have been working Hard. We felt a little discouraged after conference weekend because we felt like all of our effort wer all for nothing :/ Hardly any of our investigators came. I think one less active member came or two investiagtors but that was it. And we told so many people, wrote so many reminders and made the initiative to put the post its on ther fridge and yet, the people who said they would definitely come and who we really thought was going to never did. but oh well thats how it goes. So this week we had 2 investigators come to church!! We have been w3orking with a family of 2 investigators and their baby girl. The father Omar and the daughter Suemy (9) went to church! Hermana Elide, the mother, said that she would LOVE to come but can't because of her job. She works every Sunday. Well she didn't get to come but we asked if she wanted to be baptizedbut before I could even finish the question she said yes shaking her head as if saying, of course! I was so happy! The only porblem is to be baptized they want the investigator to attend church at least 5 times and she saidwanting to look for a new job anyway. the hours are long for how little she gets. And the other problem is that they aren't married. So she would have to wait for that to happen too. Sooo I don't know when that would happen when they are going to get baptized but we're working with them and I think we want to ask him again because he, the father Omar, has really been progressing. He has finally prayed and really felt the spirit. We have the same difficulty with 2 other investigators.. they aren't married but we working on it!! Anyway just a little of what we're doing! I have to go.. good luck this week! Bye!

Hermana Newman

Jason October 13, 2014

Its always sunny here in camargo!

Hello friends!

we had another calm week here in Camargo. We are having many successes, and also many challenges, but through it all, the Lord is providing, as he always does, and we are loving being able to participate in His work! We are teaching various families, and have the possibility of a few baptisms this month and next month! it is pretty hard here, because we are the only 2 missionaries out here and we walk all day. But nevertheless, we are enjoying our missions and working always, finding new ways to find new investigators, etc. In fact, yesterday we again went to the plaza and were able to contact a few people (ill send pictures). Its always fun to put up a display, and be proud of who and what we represent. 

this weeks letter is going to be a bit short, because we are having lots of successes, but things are a little slow cause yesterday we had 0 iinvestigators at church. baptismal dates fell, but we are NOT giving up! so there will be more adventures next week. 

If anything, the main thing that happened this week that was my favorite was how Elder Perez helped me on one particular day, where i was feeling down, and lets just say he has such a big heart and always helps me through the hard times. He said a few things to me that really stuck out, like "take control of your mission", and shared the scripture joshua 1:5, 9.  I probably wouldnt survive out here if it wasnt for him. He is helping me to become more humble and I love him. 

all is well out here in Camargo. I am really having great experiences, and if all seems like its going bad, i know that I have Elder Perez out here with me, as well as the Lord. I love you all and am forevermore grateful for your support. have a great week everyone, and know that we all, as Heavenly Fathers children, are so loved!! 

love, 

Jason 

-- 

**Elder Newman**

Natalie October 6, 2014

Two months today!!

Wow today marks two months since I've already been a missionary. Crazy how time flies. So for this short letter I wanted to just share a few things about Mexico!

The first is that never do you say hola or hello first it's always Buenas tardes or Buenas Dias or buenas noches depending on the day. Thought that was interesting!

We watched conference this weekend all in Spanish! :( really hard to understand but I got a few good thoughts and Tuesday we are going to print off some talks!

Other random thoughts:

-it takes us 45 minutes to walk to the church... never have had to experience that before

 

-The hammock took some getting used to but it really helps when it's hot and you don't sleep in it the long way like you would think it's the other way so weird lol

-There are taxis here! It costs 25 pesos which is really about 2.50 in American dollars but the pesos thing still throws me off haha just today I saw a tv in the store for 7,500 which is like 750 american dollars haha

-We have tortillas with every lunch meal 

-I have spoken to so many people!!! 92 the first week, 71, then 74 and that's just who we say the name of the church to.

-Oh and this week in our house we had two huge cockroaches. yay! (gross)

Haha sorry again I have to log off but I hope you all have fun!

Love all around,

Hermana Newman

Jason October 6 ,2014

¡amo La Conferencia General!

hello everyone! sorry if its a little short this week!

this week was probably one of the fastest weeks that went by. we didnt work in our area too too much this week, because we had to go to another city 2 days in a row, but we still were able to find 4 new investigators, and had a great experience at conference. For general conference, it was different, because here in camargo, being the only white kid for miles, i joined in with my latin american brothers and sisters and listened to it in spanish. It was different, but truth is still truth, and it doesnt matter in what language we recieve it. My favorite talk was by Quentin L. Cook in the priesthood session. he spoke on making our daily choices be the kind that will help us achieve our future goals. It helped me alot, and I am continuing to be edified everyday by the messages we recieved from conference, My companion, and the everyday experiences we have here in our little city. 

Everything continues the same: work, work, and more work! it Is crazy to think that in a week, I will have 11 months, almost a year, and in 19 days, i will be 20. Life is changing speedily, and I know that the Gospel is something that has been helping me to adjust with all these changes. Being here on the mission, i think the biggest leson ive learned so far is the magnitude and importance of the Plan of Salvation. My eyes have realy been opened up to the eternal perspective, meaning that this life isnt everything, for we truly lived with God before coming here to earth, and the time here on earth is so short in comparison to an eternity. may we all continue to live in such a way that will allow us to become the person that God has intended for us to become! 

I love you all, and pray for you always, 

Jason 

-- 

**Elder Newman**

Jason

Deseo, la fe, y el fruto

(desire, faith, fruit)

Hey everyone!

oh man, this week was SO much better! we had lots of fun and success, and learned even more how important it is to rely on the lord in ALL that we do. we are finding more work, and more and more teaching opportunities are being made known unto us as the Lord is preparing more and more people in our little city. we are getting to know our area better, as well as the members and who they are and everything. The members are so wonderful here. theres not too many that are really strong and active, but the ones who are are so helpful and support the lord in his missionary work. life is good :)

Also, we are so excited for general conference this wekend, as well as for our birthdays on the 25th! im pretty sure i mentioned, but My companion Elder Perez and I have the same birthday! haha its awesome. and we eat with my favorite member family that day! 

As the week went on, we had some great lessons with our investigators. Here are a few updates as to how some are doing: 

ANDRES: andres is technically not an investigator, because he wont get baptized (he is mentally special and so there is no need - only came here to earth to get a body :), but we did go and visit him and his mom wants us to visit him cause she knows what our church is about and so cause he stays at home all day, we came and took him over to the park and we taught him about the restoration as we all ate popsicles. im sure he loved it - hes a great guy. 

FELIX: felix is 9, and is part of a less active  family, but he never got baptized. He loves it when we come over and this week we were actually able to teach him all of lesson 1: the restoration. Im so proud of him for having sat through the whole thing, and actually was amazed at how he understood what the difference is between apostasy and dispensation. hes such s champ...when we asked him "so, felix, for you, who is God?" and hes said "Hes my dad. well, ok so actually i have 3 dads: Santa clause, My real dad, and God". haha we got a kick out of that one. 

LULY/PEDRO: Luly is the sister of one of the really strong members. She is cathiloc and has told her sister that she will never change religion. but, by all means, she wanted us to come over and give her house and her a blessing. we ended up giving her whole family blessings, and the house, and they said we can come back whenever we wanted. its so nice and comforting to hear people say that. "cuando gusta, este es su casa" ah. love it. anyway, also so her husband is a reporter and he interviewed us, being young people, and asked us about what we thought about the recent tragedies that are happening in the world, teenage suicide, etc. we bore testimony of the Atonement, and how Christ already suffered for our sins, pains, affirmities, afflictions, sicknesses, sadnessses, etc., so that we wouldnt have to. and we dont have to. 

DELFINA AND DIEGO: this was a miracle for sure. so, the week prior to last week, delfina had told us that she wants to get separated in order to be baptized, and we werent really sure what to do, until she had told us that she had changed her mind and that she was thinking it would be better to get married in place of getting separated. So, after much of taking initiative and trusting in the Lord with all our hearts, "and leaning now unto our own understanding" (proverbs 3:5-6), we were able to get all the papers and signatures together and we got them married. then, even more of a miracle, instead of getting Baptized on october 11th, they changed their mind and decided it would be better to get baptized on the 27th of september. we got a little baptismal service thrown together for them and even bought cake for everyone. it was great and I felt honored to know that Diego asked me to baptize him. it was a crazy weekend. 

phew. lots of typing. ok so we got permission from the goverment building to put up a table and pamphlets and such, to be able to preach in the plaza. it was a lot better this time, because we had a white board with the plan of salvation all laid out, and it attracted more attention. we got 10 contacts in, and will be passing by for all of them this next week. it was a lot of fun and i truly felt like a representative of the Lord as we sang hymns, Elder Perez and I, while waiting for people to come. 

OK, Last thing, so this morning Elder Perez and I studied a little bit more in depth the question "what role does faith play in the life of an investigator" and we came to the conclusion that its much more than faith that is shown from an investigator, rather that before faith can be displayed and shown, a DESIRE (a want to change) is needed. this is when we have the seed in our hand. then, once we have a desire to learn, the actual process of learning (taking the lessons) is where the FAITH is shown (keeping commitments, praying, studying, etc.) This is when we have to plant the seed, water it, care for it, give it fertilizer, sunlight, etc. then, as we know, the FRUITs of our labor will be shown (baptism, other covenants, etc.), and we will be able to partake of that fruit, which is a fruit that is so delicious. This is a principle that can be applied to anything in our lives, and not just to investigators. (See alma chapter 32)

I know the Lord lives and Loves us, and that we are his children. he wants the best for us, which is exhaltation, and he has provided the way for us to have that. its called the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and its only through Jesus Christ who makes the entire plan of God even possible. 

Have a great week, everyone. I love you all! 

Jason 

-- 

**Elder Newman**

Jason

Me, Diego, Delfina, and Elder Perez

Natalie

Hi Friends!
Okay so didn't have much time today because I was reading and responding to emails but here is a picture!

Natalie

Buenos Tardes de Cozumel!

Hey again!

 I am loving it here! I was so scared and nervous the first few days but now I am settling in. I think I felt for lack of a better description, claustrophobic. I felt like I was in a box... I had no sense of direction, the streets are confusing as are the addresses, I didn't like sweating ALL THE TIME, and I hated the fact that I could barely communicate. Nothing was familiar, everything is just different and I wanted familiarity. I knew it was going to be different but it definitely took some getting used to. 

Everyone here is so respectful and humble. They don't have much at all and I was previously expecting to be in houses made of cement but once again it's different actually experiencing it. Some of the homes here are literally one BIG room and everything is in it, the bed, their clothes, the kitchen, their books and toys for the kids, and their tv all together. Everything has its place but for most homes, nothing is partitioned off. Some of the members homes we have eaten at do have more than one room but some don't. It amazes me how the people are humble and live with so little. And most of it is probably because they know no other way to live. 

My trainer is so great. She is such a sweetheart and I don't know how, a miracle, but somehow, I feel so much more comfortable with Spanish, I can understand more and more everyday. I am gaining more confidence in talking to people all in the streets and Hermana Andersen is a wonderful companion. She has just the right amount of balance in being a lider no leader haha sorry it's happening: My Spanish and English are mixing even more! But as I was saying, Hermana Andersen has just the right balance of being a leader and friend. She pushes me when I need it but helps me too. I don't know how she does it. She is a natural at being kind and a friend but being firm and guiding me when she needs to be. I think it's because it's a part of her to be both.

Well I would say more but again I have run out of time. I will also try again next week to attach some pictures, I have lots! Thank you all and I hope you have a great week!

Hermana Newman

Jason

New companion.  Elder Perez. 

Jason

Hola from Camargo!

Hey everyone! 

got a new companion! His name is Elder Perez, and he is from Mexico City. In getting to know him, and asking questions about him, I asked him "hey, so when is your birthday?" and he responds "october 25th". i just remember thinking to myself "oh this is gonna be a good cycle". haha we have the same birthday! along with a lot of other things in common. He is great, and actually speaks a bit of english, and I am glad to be able to help him. 

Things are slowly taking off here in Camargo, as we are continuing to get to know the entire city and are always looking for more and more people to teach. We have about 15 Investigators and a LOT of work to do with the members and Less actives. The ward is a little small, and so with that this area might be less baptisms, and more re activating of members, but In my eyes, and Im sure in Heavenly Father's as well, thats still missionary work. We do hope and anticipate to have a few baptisms in October though. 

One of our Investigators, Marlene, is going great. We are still working with her on coming to church, but I loved and wanted to share our experience we had last week with her. We had a great lesson on baptism, Recieving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, Enduring to the End, and interestingly enough, Temples. She always has questions, and through the words that the spirit puts into our mouths, we are able to answer and eliminate her doubts. We explained to her that as husband and wife, we can be sealed together for time and all eternity. she said "what to you mean by time and all eternity? isnt eternity time too?" and we said that time refers to the time we have on earth, and eternity refers to the time after this life, and we can still be married after we die, thanks to the sealing in the temple. she was so excited to hear that, and I remember she was like "Oh, now I understand!!" it was just great to hear that she understood, and we will definitely keep working with her. 

a little shorter this week, but i just reassure all of you that the Lord lives and Loves us, that His Father is our Father, even our Heavenly Father, and that if we give heed to his counsel through the Holy Ghost and obey his commandments, he will bless us here in our earth lives and in our lives after death. We will all resurrect, and through obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we can be exhalted and recieve the highest degree of Celestial Glory! I love you all!

love, 

Jason 

-- 

**Elder Newman**

Natalie's First Area

Natalie - In Mexico!

Made it to México!

Well hi everyone! I made it to México! I don't have much time today because I had to write president first and then it took awhile after for the internet to work faster but I just wanted to send a quick greeting that I'm here. I'm tired, sweating a lot, worried with how little Spanish I know, and a little nervous but I'm here! I'm here and persistent on not letting my fears get to me.

I would love to write more of a greeting but as I mentioned we don't have a lot of time today but I will tell you this, I love my mission president and his wife. They truly are amazing, and that man has a powerful spirit. I could feel their love simply by looking at them when we walked out of the airport and saw them. 

We stayed at their house last night, the mission home, it's like a mansion! Seriously compared to the other homes we are around now, it's extremely nice and beautiful.

My first area, I have been sent to Cozumel!!! It is the island next to the peninsula. There are 90,000 people here! Also if my email ends abruptly, just know that it's because the lady here cuts us off when it's time and I'm not sure when that is but just fyi, heads up I don't mean it to sound that way lol

I knew it was going to be hot but man is is HOT!! I have never felt so much humidity in my life. I am sweating all the time. Ps, shout out to mi mama, thanks mom for the hankerchiefs!!

Love you all I have to go! 

Hermana Newman

Jason

Goodbye Elder Warner...

¡buen dia a todos! 

wahoo! i completed 10 months in the mission last saturday!

aw man! sure enough, Elder warner has transfers. we had the best time, though! He has helped me a lot and I will miss him. Im pretty nervous, because I only have 2 weekds here in our area (the CITY of camargo), but it was cool cause Elder Warner reminded me of something. he said "that probably means that president trusts you a lot because you only have 2 weeks in the area". so we will have to see how it goes. Dont know my new companion, and dont know if ill move up in the ranks or what. 

We had a good little week though! we worked so hard to talk to all the investigators we have, and had some marvelous lessons. In particular, I think the lesson with Elsa was the most powerful. we didnt even put her in our plans, but Elder Warner had the impression to just go a different direction and to go see if Elsa was home (she is a former investigator, meaning for various reasons, the missionaries stopped visiting her cause she wasnt progressing). but sure enough, she was home! Elsa is about 50 and apart from her daughter occasionally visiting her, she lives alone. She is very smart and now, more than ever, is so "hungry" to know what it is exactly that God wants for her. With the passing of her dad, she is desperate to know. So we had a long lesson on the plan of salvation, and the spirit was so strong. It will be a bit of a journey for her, but we hope to help her reach the point of baptism. Im grateful for Heavenly Father and for how he guided us to her house that day. 

just one of many experiences we get to have on the mission. Also, I finished reading the book of mormon this morning (first time in spanish!), and I feel so much happier. I am reflecting in my mind on its teachings, and though i have a testimony of it, i am following Moroni´s counsel and am pondering and meditating. Im grateful for the Book of Mornmon and how it has been such a blessing for me, as well as the bible and other books of scripture we have. 

Not too much to write this week...mainly because we are anticipating the transfers with elder warner and such, but all is well here in the mission, and I am loving every minute of it. thank you ALL ffor your support! 

Love, 

Jason

-- 

**Elder Newman**

Natalie

At airport

Natalie

Goodbye MTC!

Hey all!!

So this week has been crazy with getting ready to leave and everything. Yesterday we had In-field Orientation and I loved it :) They taught us key points about actually being in the field. For example they talked to us about not being afraid to ask the members for help in our efforts of missionary work, the importance of goal setting and making plans and then adjusting if goals aren't met, it doesn't stop after baptism. They have stressed so much that baptism isn't really the goal; it's the temple and eternal life but the only way to get there is through the first ordinance which is baptism. 

We have heard so many stories about how missionaries tend to "forget" investigators after they are baptized and if they don't have any support, they are going to leave and go back to what they know and what is comfortable. It's a big change for people and we have to do all we can to be better member missionaries to be of service and offer our time to befriend and welcome all those who we invite to learn of the gospel. 

I am constantly reminded that our purpose is not to baptize but to simply invite others to come unto Christ. I am so grateful for this, I have been reminded that while missionary work can be challenging, we aren't trying to convince anyone of anything but simply, Inviting.

As my companion Hermana Bloomfield said a few weeks ago, "it never hurts anyone to have a little more love in their life". Whether it be love you are giving or receiving, the principle remains the same. Charity is one of the most amazing gifts to have- to love as Christ loved/loves. If we don't have Charity, nothing else matters. 1 Corinthians 13:2-4 ( The whole chapter is really good though actually, it's only about 15 verses long or so I can't remember exactly.)

I am so terrified but so excited for this mission. I pray that Heavenly Father will continue to strengthen my faith, nothing wavering and always remember Him. Thank you for your support and friendship. Have a great week! T-minus 37 hours!

Hermana Newman <3

Jason

Challenge accepted!

Whoa!!!!! 

where to begin!? this week has been very fun and different. I am now in a new area, and its not in the city of Chihuahua anymore. yep, thats right-i finally left the city! I will miss it, and always love the city of Chihuahua, but im at a different point in my mission now. I am now serving in a city called Camargo. it is about 2 hours south of the City of Chihuahua, and Our area is the entire city!!!! whoa! we are the only misionaries out here in the entire city, and the next closest city is called Saucillo (sau-see-oh), which is about 45 minutes away. We feel like we are on a little island! Its a city of about 57,000 people, so its not terribly big, but still...in the past there were 6 missionaries here and now theres only 2, so...lots of work to do!

My new companion is Elder Warner! he is so hilarious, and Im surprised at how easy it has been to transfer areas, and not feel sadness or nervousness or anything, but i can credit a lot of that to Elder Warner. He always keeps me laughing and smiling, and we always talk! He is from Holladay too, just like Elder Goldsberry (2 companions ago), and he completed a year in the mission a few days ago! i cant believe im close to that day...man, the time flies by! He has been here for 6 months or so, and theres only this next week left in the cycle before there are transfers, and he thinks that hes gonna have transfers (6 months in an area isnt very common), but i want him to stay for another cycle, so he can teach me the area. Its just really hard to learn our area in 2 weeks, seeing as how its a whole city. But i know that if he does get transferred next week, it will be for the best, and i might even train! haha idk. we will see...

The ward is...a little different. it should be a branch, because there really arent too many full time tithe payers/melchizedec priesthood holders, but the stake doesnt want to go down to a district, so they are still calling it a ward. The members that I have met so far are really nice, but Elder Warner says that there are a lot of complications in the ward. I just know that I am excited to have a change and to just work the best that I can out here. But to give you an idea, Elder warner and I participated in half the ordinances/program at church yesterday. We helped pass the sacrament, Bore our testimonies, Helped teach the priesthood class by giving a few blessings with Consecrated oil, and my favorite thing, we each gave a baby a name and a blessing. 

That was something I never thought id be able to do until i was a father with my own child, but that was one of the most tender experiences that I have had on the mission. The Bishop asked us to each bless a baby, and I had only heard the wording and terms used in english, but sure enough, I took the baby from the mom, held it in my arms, and elder warner and I gave her her name and a blessing (the mom already picked the name out.) I dont remember the name, but I will find out and write it next week. But really, the spirit was so strong and I look forward to the day where I will bew able to do that for my own children in the future. Im thankful for the Priesthood and for the fact that God has entrusted his Sons with the authority to exercise this power for the salvation of the Children of God. 

Our investigators are sweet! we only had one come to church yesterday, Delfina, but i am excited to teach them all! Some of them are Delfina, Memo (hes my favorite-so funny!), Erika and Adrian, Marlene, and Cinthia. Elder Warner has been with all of them since the beggining of their time with the missionaries, and so there is a pretty good relationship with all our investigators, all thats left is to help them enter the waters of baptism!  

Well, i will save more for the next email, but know that im doing all right, but more importantly, I pray that all of you are ok and happy. I know that The Plan that Heavenly Father has for us is real, and that He lives and Loves us very much. take care, and until next week! love you all!!

love, 

Jason 

**Elder Newman**

Natalie

~Short and sweet~

Hey friends! 

So I don't have time to write a long letter this week if much at all since I spent time reading emails from mis padres (my parents) but I just wanted to write a few things.. Mainly, we got our travel plans!!! We leave at 2:30 to go to the airport and catch our flight at 6 AM! Then we have a layover in Texas and connect to travel to Mexico! Only 8 more days in the CCM what the? It's been exactly one month which means only 17 more! No lo creo.. I can't believe it. It's kind of surreal to me that we hardly have any time left here. 

Remember in my last email I talked about Maribel? Well I included a picture this time because we got one with her. We love her and she is such a hilarious woman! She reminds me of one of my mom's cousins.. she feels like family lol Also I am including a picture of our district and remember like one of the first few emails I sent I described one of the Elders in our group? His name is Elder Ross, he is the hilarious one and as he said, humbly of course, "So I'm like the glue that sticks us together!?" Well you'll see him in the second one too, such a goof lol

Well like I said I couldn't write much but a few random things and mainly the exciting thing that happened this week was getting our travel plans yesterday! My favorite line in our itinerary is, "Your mission has been notified of your arrival information and will be waiting to receive you." Ahh! Keep smiling! If anything I've learned this week it is despite the struggle(s) stay strong and just have faith! And pray. And listen. Thanks for reading! Have a great week.  

~Hermana Newman

Jason

Short and sweet!

Hey everyone! 

I dont have too much time to type today, for a few reasons (mainly due to a zone activity), but i will just let you know what has happened over the last 24 hours because it was a shock for me. I have....Cambios! (transfers) -- i have only been in this area for a month, but i am having transfers again. I dont know where i am going, or who my companion is, but i am sure i will love it and be able to continue to grow and progress there. I will mis Elder Juarez though, because he really helped me out a lot, when it came to the language barrier and talking to people. 

in church, 3 recent converts from our area bore testimonies of their experience in the temple on saturday. Armando, Porfirio, and Inocente - they are all so great! I especially love armando! he also blessed the sacrament for the first time with his new authority in the aaronic priesthood! so proud of him. 

I have learned patience so much more in this are more than i ever have. We faced a lot together, Elder Juarez and I. But i know that "if we keep at it, things certainly will improve" (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, First Presidency). each companion and area has taught me one generall overall principle, and this one has taught me 2: Patience and Gratitude. im still not perfect, nor ever will be until the resurrection, but i am a little bit more aware of these 2 christlike attributes in my life, and am beginning to see better what it really means to be on the path of discipleship. 

well, thats all for now, but i pray for you all and hope everyone is having a great time in their endeavors. take care, everyone, and know i love you ALL!!! 

love, 

Jason 

p.s. - I cant believe its already September!!!! (not so much here though...still feels like its summer.)

-- 

**Elder Newman**

Natalie

Week 4

Wow! Can you believe it's already week four?! I mean, technically it's only been 3 and a half weeks since missionaries come in the middle of a week but this is considered the fourth week and next week will be the 5th week! It is so crazy how the time has been picking up. I literally feel like the last two weeks went by so fast. 

But nevertheless, things are going great here! It's definitely not easy and it's definitely difficult at times but I am learning so much about being a teacher. Not only am I learning how to teach people the Gospel but overall I'm just learning how to be a teacher and when I started getting the hang of it, it's really fun. I like it because we are being taught that you can plan a lesson but go and teach completely not in the way you might have anticipated. Now, I had known this beforehand but it's been taught in a way that's been re-emphasized and you literally have to study the subject so that when the lesson goes in a different direction, you can follow the guidance.

The first lesson my companion and I had was reeeeeally bad haha because as I mentioned before, we were so focused on saying what we wrote down and the small "script" that we forgot to focus on the person we were trying to teach. Now, we have met with an investigator, Maribel, 4 lessons: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and yesterday. At the CCM (se-se-emmeh or MTC) some of the "investigators" are members of the church and some truly are not. We don't know for sure if Maribel is but I am pretty sure I saw her garments peek out haha I say this because that made me think she is a member but regardless I know for our purpose, that detail doesn't matter. 

I am really glad we are talking with her though whether she really is a member already or not because it feels real. When we would teach our maestros (teachers) it felt weird because we weren't sure how to determine what their "needs" are so it was hard for me at first to figure out how to teach because for lack of a better word, it felt "fake" since I know they aren't really investigators. Although, I have learned that the purpose is to look past that and teach anyway since we are always in need of individual growth in the gospel. 

But with Maribel, as I mentioned, it does feel real. I forget that I am only in the MTC. I forget where I am and my focus is totally on her. Sometimes when I talk with her, it's like I don't always have to think in English first and then translate in Spanish what I'm going to say. It's almost as if I don't have to think twice about Spanish! And I'm not sure if that's because I'm getting better or if talking to native Spanish speakers feels natural lol her friend told me not to worry because it's a part of my heritage I simply need to "pull it out of my blood" haha 

The only thing I don't like that Maribel has said, is that she challenged us (my companion and I) to NOT speak English para el fin de semana!... (the rest of the weekend) Sooo with the exception of accidentes and saying "you too" on purpose when someone said have a good day, I nor my companion have spoken English since Thursday evening and cannot until Monday morning! Ah! haha it's like when we played the game I told you about, El Nativo but for longer lol it's fun and I like it, we're doing really good I just don't like feeling restrained or limited.

But anyway I hope my thoughts make sense, I only have a few minutes left so I will say just a few more things about my experience here thus far :)

-I love being in the MTC choir every Tuesday for devotional. It's an amazing experience singing with 300 missionaries. It's so fun :)

-There are 1500 missionaries at the main campus and at our west campus for Spanish speakers we have about 500! At least I'm pretty sure that's what was said.

-There are now about 87,000 missionaries serving worldwide and about 20,000 are Sisters, wahoo!

-I have not had soda at ALL since coming to the MTC and even before and if you know me really well, I consider it an accomplishment because I love my Dr. Pepper. I'm trying to quit soda altogether, we'll see how much longer that lasts lol 

-Lastly, we only have two more weeks and then we leave for real! AHHH! 

:) Thanks for reading my long email, hope you all have fun this next week and please feel free to Dear Elder me because I get letters to read the same day that way! Information of my address if you need is on my facebook. I would really love to hear from you!! 

Adios hasta proximo Sabado,

Hermana Newman <3

Jason

We went to Parral!

Hey everyone! 

this email may be a little short, but i hope it gets the message across well enough. anyway, I think its interesting how the highlits of the week always seem to be on saturdays. for example, this last saturday, the ward mission choir was invited to sing for the District conference in another city called Parral. It was a blast. a little different than the normal 6:30 am routine, because we had to wake up at4:30am on sunday, in order to be at the offices and on the bus at 5:15, in order to be on the road by 6. I love bus rides!! I had a great time talking with friends, and sitting next to my dad, Elder Womack. Lots of respect for that man! anyway, we got to Parral at about 9:15, and the District conference started at 10. Apart from singing in the meeting, i felt the spirit really strong in this meeting, and just had a lot of good impressions come to my mind. for example: 

"For me, serving a mission was never a decision, I was destined & foreordained to serve the lord"

"Christ faced Pharisees & unbelievers, We have faced Jehovas witnesses, Misioneros de Guadalupe, Adventistas, Baptists, Catholics, and peopple of many other faiths"

"Christ had to suffer and pay the price for his Salvation and Exhaltation. In order for me to truly become a disciple of Jesus Christ, I feel that I, too, must do the same" 

"Though suffering and sorrow seem constant, it doesnt compare to the infinite joy of Salvation and Exhaltation. Trials are temporary, but blessings are eternal"

This mission, and especially this area, have really opened up my eyes, and I can now see myself on the path of Discipleship. Im grateful for all the blessings that the Lord has poured into my life, and I know that he does the same for each and every one of you, when we are obedient. "Obedience brings blessings, Exact obedience brings miracles". i have heard this quote many times and dont know who the original author is, but i love it and i testify that it is true. We are hopwfuly gonna have a stake by the end of the year down ther in paral, and as a result will be splitting the one parral zone into 2 zones. the field is white, already to harvest!! 

I lvoe you all and thank you all for your support. Hurrah for Israel! 

love, 

Jason 

-- 

**Elder Newman**